Nursery interior

In the world of babies and nursery styling, there is one extremely popular creature that pops up in all shapes and forms. The bunny.

Finding classic, muted and beautiful bunnies take a bit more sourcing. A few months ago I discovered a brand on Instagram called Little Blue Nest. I clicked on their page and was instantly drawn to the colours and illustrations which hark back to an Enid Blyton age, and reminded me of one of my favourite childhood books- The Animals of Farthing Wood.

Created by Ila, the Little Blue Nest launched in late 2016. Ila set out to create an elegant and timeless nursery brand, and each each item is created from pure and organic cotton threads.

Velveteen Babies natural marl bunny garland

Another heirloom nursery purchase has to be this ceramic rabbit light £70 by White Rabbit England. They are handmade in the U.K and are a classic, something to love for years to come. It would look perfect on a wooden shelf, stacked on vintage books, or with a Velveteen Babies garland and a botanical print in any nursery.

Beautiful bunny room inspiration with lamp from White Rabbit England.

The Little Blue Nest collection covers both beautiful design, with the softest muslin. My daughter, Willa likes to sleep holding a muslin, and ever since I made my first purchase, our bunny swaddle blanket has been much commented on when we’ve had it out and about.

Sleeping soundly in her Little Blue Nest Baby collection.

Luckily for us, the range has increased since our first parcel, and the Little Blue Nest Baby range now comprises of soft muslin cot sheets, quilts, muslins and the original swaddle blankets in this bunny design, but also in a carefully and lovingly created collection of a number of illustrations. We took delivery of the softest cot sheet the other day, and it’s truly lovely.

Our sheet is teamed with a soft muslin Numero74 cot bumper and I’ve introduced wood and natural design influences to Willa’s space- a natural sheepskin rug on the floor and plenty of greenery in raffia baskets really works to create a calm and serene sleeping arrangement. Our sweet Maileg fawn toy is sourced from Coco&Wolf.

Best bunny finds for a natural inspired nursery.

I’ve not got any artwork up, as we are moving house next week, but I think vintage inspired bunny prints by Boo&Bell would look sweet hung on a wood poster hanger around a nursery, or this Etsy find is this gorgeous print by Howell Illustration, which is so simple and subtle.

Creating a beautiful ethereal kids space is so simple with the addition of some gorgeous interior accessories and clever (but easy to achieve) styling. There’s such a movement towards beautiful, muted pastels, grey and soft watercolour textures in children’s interiors, that capture the imagination and are incredibly dreamy.

For a girls room, then dirty muted pinks, or a stylised wallpaper can work well to give the room depth and identity, or go with a grey, Little Greene does some fantastic shades – My favourite is Dorchester Pink. For unbeatably beautiful wallpaper then you must visit hibouhome.com for the swans, clouds and stars, all designed and made in England.

To add even more magic then try applying some removable wall stickers in glitter stars from Little Cloud Kids, they come in gold or silver (and it’s fine to mix metallics too!)

We’re hoping to be moving house in 4 weeks, but we’ve used these in Willa’s existing room, and they are so easy to use and position. They add just the right amount of sparkle and we’ve used them on white walls- it’s still easy to get a magic look with white. In the next house I’ll be taking all these items but I’ll be painting the walls muted blush.

The essential accessory to any magical kidsroom is a canopy, and ours is the grey colourway from Numero74 which you can find at Molly Meg in lots of colour options along with loads of coordinating items. We have a few of the star cushions which come in different colours and textures which we’ve placed with our silver moon cushion by Marjorie Minnie.

Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration and I’ve started to collate a board with some of my favourite images- a few of which are below. You’ll find our Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/velveteenbabies1 where we have lots of kidsroom inspiration and also pictures of our products that you can pin to your boards.

Source: Pinterest

There’s another few components shown to creating a successful kidsroom with a magical feel. Lighting is crucial. Find wire fairy lights and wrap around a cloud or moon shape to create your own, or Cox&Cox have a star shape ready lit.

Mrs Mighetto prints are the perfect partner too and are made in limited editions each season. Ours are AW 2016 which had a circus identity, but this season the collection is based around nature. Our current favourite is Miss Alice. We’ve framed ours in grey wood, but they look incredible in eclectic vintage frames or on a wooden print hanger. We also love the monochrome prints from Ella and the Roo which are really beautiful- no need to stick to the rules- a wall covered in tonal prints in different styles can look incredible if you are brave.

Mr Moon Garland from the Velveteen Babies shop

.Bunting from Numero 74 is easy to string up and gives an extra dimension to prints and wallspace, and our garlands are such an easy way to add another dimension to a magical space.

Textiles and texture lend a luxe feel to any children’s room, so look for a bed cover in velvet or linen in muted shades. Cammomile London have a few beautiful styles and then pile cushions on top- moons, stars, and tassel detail work perfectly. Work with a few different colours otherwise it might feel flat, or inject some metallics if you do, it’ll lift a scheme easily.

Finally, add some accessories with a nod to the feel- perhaps a row of glistening crowns on a shelf, or a vintage vase filled with fairy wands. Molly Meg has such a beautiful selection, and you’ll find the prettiest crowns from Fable Heart, including sweet toy size ones.

Our Mr Moon decoration is a gorgeous easy addition to a canopy or wall, and we adore this moon coverlet from Amayadeeme.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been putting together a special space for my 7 month old daughter, Willa. My brief was to create a magical nursery space that would also have many aspects that could grow up with her, rather than a typical ‘nursery’ scheme which would date and become obsolete. My only bugbear is the flooring- an inherited beige carpet that we can’t do much about at the moment!

I particularly wanted to introduce greys and soft blush pink to the scheme, and accents of white, silver and black. For now the walls are painted simple white emulsion, but if we stay in our current house for longer then I have plans to paint the walls a muted pale blush pink. Instead of a wall colour for now, I’ve used Mrs Mighetto circus prints which I sourced from Cissywears and Home and Me which I had framed in painted dark grey wood and stick on silver glitter stars from Little Cloud Kids.

Willa’s Room has sloping ceilings and beams which are painted white, so I strung up Numero74 grey velvet bunting from Scandiminis and I treat Willa (myself) to a grey feather Vita Eos light shade because I knew it would be perfect.

Fortunately the ceilings are still fairly high so that we were able to hang up her grey Numero 74 canopy (also from Scandiminis) on a cup hook inserted into a plug in the ceiling and I strung battery lights from lights4fun inside which are on fine metal thread.

I wanted to find something for the back wall behind Willa’s cot to team up with her sparkly star wall stickers, and I found the perfect white crescent moon light from Lights4fun. It’s ideal as it’s so simple, and can be switched on and off on the side and easily mounted on the wall. I love the simplicity of it- it was just what I wanted for that area of the wall and it’s so dreamy at night.
Next to Willa’s cot stands a beautiful solid wire basket with lid, sourced from The Modern Nursery, and I’ve used it as a stand for Willa’s Miffy light which has a dimmer switch so creates a lovely soft light in her nursery by night. Other lovely lighting comes from Ginger Rock Designs and is a sparkly blush raindrop that sits on her bookshelves alongside magical bird toys from Ilka Design.

We are really lucky to have an original Victorian fireplace in Willa’s room and it makes for a beautiful focal point. It’s the ideal place to store some of her treasures which I’ve carefully displayed. Her plywood name is by Lala Loves Decor and her wooden circus tent by UP! Warsaw from Emi and Nell (UK stockist) which is a nice match with her Miss Mighetto circus collection framed posters.

Willa’s simple cot is just from Ikea, as I’d rather buy her a beautiful bed when she’s old enough, rather than spending a fortune on matchy matchy nursery furniture.

Willa’s rag rug pulls together all the pastel shades and is by Bloomingville interiors. I found it via the Scandinavian Design Centre. The toy cot next to the fireplace is from This Modern Life which is full of Willa’s toy friends. In the fireplace are Willa’s gorgeous pink letter blocks by Too Many PJ’s (you can order any letter combinations to spell out any phrase or name).

Swan print by Pax and Hart from The Little Baby Company, Louis Ghost chair by Kartell, and luggy toy basket from Olli Ella at This Modern Life. Willa’s crochet name is from Little Cloud Kids and her quilted swan coverlet is by Cam Cam Copenhagen. It’s the perfect dusty pink shade.

Willa has the most beautiful lamb toys from Just Acorn which are immaculately handmade. They are divine and Barbara from Just Acorn makes just a few different creatures each week to sell. It’s worth following her on Instagram at instagram.com/just_acorn for updates on her magical creations. I don’t think it’ll be long until I’m buying a friend for Mrs Lamb and her sleepy baby!

Beautiful house dolls cot by Jones and Parker toys.

Of course, Willa had to have her own Velveteen Babies garland, so I created this style with her room in mind. Silvery stars and a shiny moon are perfect next to her canopy and aren’t overbearing when there’s so much going on in her scheme. I also bought a beautiful silver moon cushion from Marjorie Minnie and a grey velvet Numero 74 star cushion to sit in her cot to coordinate the scheme. Further cushions from The Velvet Egg tie in with the circus references.

The final flourish will be the addition of this Aro for kids embroidery, which I’ve ordered. I can’t wait for it to arrive!

Willa’s Room might be based around a colour palette of modern pastel, with the palest of grey walls and a blush pink house shaped paint relief- colour note: Farrow and Ball Pink Ground (a dusty blush)

We may strip the carpets and paint the floor, and use a circular rug in twisted pastel hues from Bloomingville to tie in the scheme and give some warmth and texture.
I sourced our rug from The Scandinavian Design Centre .

Also on the floor will be Willa’s Miffy light which has a lovely dimmer switch which will keep her room cosy at night.

Toy storage for her softies will come in the form of Ferm Living grid bag, which has luxe leather handles and is deep enough to store a generous amount of her squishy toys! It’s also safe for her to empty and pull whilst she’s tiny.

On the walls.

I’ve invested in yet another beautiful print by Pax+Hart (we already have several and I’m a huge fan). This time I’ve gone for the Sunday Swans and have found a really good UK stockist of all the Pax and Hart prints (including the ones trickier to source) and other nursery decor which is The Little Baby Company . I can’t decide to frame it in white or use a wooden magnet hanger, I think I’ll wait until we decorate.

Not shown will be the front walls which I plan to shelve with Ribba shelves from Ikea for some of Willa’s beautiful story book collection, we have all the collection of the ‘Little people, big dreams’ to read to her.

For the ceiling light in Willa’s Room I wanted to create a soft cloud effect and sourced a feathery fluffy feminine classic light- I went with the Vita EOS light shade which you can find at Molly Meg in the UK.

Adding some drama and more light to the room comes in the form of looped white festoon garland which I may hang from a wooden hook or peg, or perhaps the wall mountable ring from Ferm Living.

Willa’s existing white ash String Shelves may be hung above the cot to display her pretty knock knacks, keeping it clean and uncluttered.

We will buy a simple white wardrobe from Ikea to store her clothes as there will be enough going on in the room- it’s only a small space so we wanted to keep it clean and bright.

Lovingly created by Erin in London, UK, Too Many Pjs is a gem of a small business with an array of modern handcrafted patchwork products in their Etsy shop.

Erin’s background is textile design and she’s worked freelance for the likes of Roland Mouret, Joseph and Alexander McQueen so she knows a thing or two!

After the birth of her first child, Erin made a playmat using some of the fabrics she had designed and Too Many PJs was born after so many of her friends started asking for their own version.

Erin believes wholeheartedly in making sure her products are of the finest quality whilst marrying a contemporary design concept, and textures and colours that will appeal to the whole family.

The mix of print, texture and colour is perfect for stimulating and delighting babies, so the patchwork playmates are a fantastic alternative to the garish ones from the high street.

Erin also handprints canvas and creates minimalist styled cushions and play blocks which are created in her studio. The play blocks are created with lowercase letters and have sides of textured material which are ideal for little ones and the cushions are sold in patchwork style or as a clean minimal design shown above.

Too Many PJs can be found at www.toomanypjs.com which links to their Etsy shop where you can view and purchase the range.

I wanted to make night feeds as easy as possible with our baby number three when she arrives, because I won’t have the luxury of lazy pajama mornings this time, the school run simply won’t run itself come September sadly.

With this in mind, I decided to forgoe the usual Moses basket purchase and treat myself to a beautiful Snüzpod. I’d read up on reviews and weighed it up against the Chicco Next to Me which is marginally cheaper, but in my opinion the Snüz came up top. I also wanted something that I could fit my other indulgence in, a ‘Sleepyhead‘ which I ordered from John Lewis.

To fit our grey and blush theme, I have added cushions from The Velvet Egg and Fine Little Day. These compliment my blanket stash from Mama Designs (grey) and the beautiful swan playmat/quilt by Cam Cam Copenhagen which I purchased from The Tipi. It’s backed with softest fine corduroy and is so lovely.

Essential Muslins come in the prettiest muted nudes and pinks again from Cam Cam Copenhagen from Mama Owl (they also do lovely greys and mints).

Our sweet wooden pram and dollies are by Pinch Toys which we usually have displayed on our String shelves at home.

I eventually plan to introduce touches of Liberty print and I’m secretly working on some new garlands using pops of Liberty print for Velveteen Babies.

The garland in the pictures will be going to it’s new home this week, it was a custom order for someone else.

Whilst my theme is quite feminine, I also wanted to style our Snüzpod in some different ways so that you can get some styling ideas and inspiration, if you are expecting and don’t know the sex then the following ideas are completely gender neutral.

To bring something bright and beautiful, this theme relies on white and grey as a base colour for a nursery. It’s crucial to tone down bright colour pops so it doesn’t become too intense or messy.

Our rainbow garland becomes a crucial backdrop to tie in grey clouds and a bright splash of colour.

We’ve used bright bedding from Mama Designs and a mono cloud cushion from Farg Form at This Modern Life.

Our star light is from Gingerrock Designs on Etsy and rainbow suitcase from retrokids.com.

Add a fun nightlight such as this one by Heico from decobaby.co.uk and our fun little Velveteen Babies stormcloud is lovely to hang from a doorknob or a hook on the wall.

Finally, for the purists and lovers of monochrome, I’ve put together a genderless scheme that is easy to achieve.

You could add pops of colour or a highlight colour (mint would work well) to this scheme.

Sourcing beautiful bedding and comfort to create a cosy space for the smalls has been my mission recently.

I’ve been trailing all my favourite stores to find the ‘perfect’ sheet which will blend with both brights and pastels and I’ve found it courtesy of le.edit.

This gorgeous quality fitted sheet is printed with a totally gender neutral x o design (which also comes in black to suit you monochrome lovers!). As you can see, it works both styled with our pastel look and also with our beautiful brights!

Sourcing attractive bedding can see tricky at times and it’s easy to fall into the trap of being too matchy matchy, when mixing up textures and colours can look so much more stylish.

We love our cellular blankets from Mamadesigns which are shown in bright yellow and also grey in our schemes. These mix practicality with style as they are breathable and are made from soft cotton.

A recent ‘find’ has been the most beautiful ombrè merino wool hand dyed heirloom blankets which are the perfect stroller/pram size (50x80cm) by Whole Concept at Scandimini. We chose ombrè pink to go with our grey bugaboo, but there is also a gender neutral grey version which is beautiful.

I love a good cushion, and the new range by Fine Little Day are perfect pastels. We sourced ours from The Modern Nursery and team it with squashy alpaca wool characters from Lucky Boy Sunday.

We love bright happy cushions too, and one of my boys favourites is our doughnut cushion by Sack Me! From retrokids.com

We have long been a huge fan of the super talented Born n Monday and one of our most loved blankets is our monochrome cloud, shown above. It’s impossible to choose from all of their designs though so do be warned!

One trend in kids interiors that shows no sign of abating is that of the beautiful swan. Due to copycats and also my need to constantly improve and enhance my product lines, our Velveteen Babies swan garland has been updated with a glitter topped wing and is now available in a soft grey with pinky peach glitter crown.

We were also sent an adorable baby sleep suit from Didi and Bud this week. Launching on 1st June, Didi and Bud is all about fresh and minimal sleepwear for babies and children which is made in England. We love the sweet pale pink umbrella design and the super soft cotton.

One easy room update is to string up some lights, (ours are cotton balls in pastel colours from Cotton Ball Lights UK ) one of our garlands and a print or two. Our absolute go-to print business is the brilliant Wonder and Rah with a range of stylish prints in pastels and monochromes to suit your scheme (see that yummy pastel ice lolly!)

When it comes to displaying prints on a wall, think outside the box. We washi taped ours to a metal cloud hanger from Cissywears which is far more interesting than a boring standard frame and is easier to swap when the mood takes you.

Our grey/pink Icecream garland is also new to Velveteen Babies and is a pared down version of our beloved pastel version.

Look at those perfect prints from Wonder and Rah teamed up with our pastel rainbow garland. We used silver glitter washi tape to display them.

Now that I’ve discovered I’m expecting a little girl, I have suddenly become a devotee of the humble but beautiful pastel palette.

I’ve put together a few pastel looks from a few of my favourite children’s / interior websites, and some of my own products as they work so perfectly in tandem.

I’ve also been working with Cotton Ball Lights which have so many different and beautiful colour options in their online store.

For the perfect pastel base, use simple white walls, or a pale grey like we have.

Perfect Pastels

In this look, I’ve used a string of cotton ball lights in pastels from cottonballlights.com/uk (used throughout) to tie in lots of pastel hues, so that the look doesn’t get too ‘pink’ ! Pink and grey makes a perfect combination, and I’ve used this beautiful dolls bed from This Modern Life as a sweet accessory.

The monochrome dolls bedding is from Willie and Millie which has a little cover and pillow, the perfect size for the little cot.

The Icecream garland is my pastel Icecream garland available to order in my Etsy shop each Friday.

Icecream Garland

Filling a paper bag with toys lends a more rustic contemporary look to a children’s room, and I’ve filled it with some of our little toys.

The pink muslin swaddle is by Fine Little Day at This Modern Life again. ﻿

Dolls bed and Cotton Ball Lights

I never planned to get so ‘girlie’ but adding greys and whites keeps this look well away from sickly territory. Personally I’m not a fan of beiges and champagne colours, but wanting a soft look to baby’s area, the greys and pastels are ideal.

Our cotton ball lights are perfect for creating a warm cosy space by night, and a soft light for night time feeds, and by day they are another pretty accessory.

String Shelves, white Ash

I’ve also created a little shelf area using white ash String Shelves from Utility Design which are ideal for displaying our trinkets. I try and keep a balance of whites, greys and pastel touches so it doesn’t become overbearing.

I’ve also started to collect sweet baby accessories and clothes from some of my favourite shops. These pink moccasins are made by Wolfie and Willow and they are the softest chrome free leather.

These little socks are from Archies Boutique and are by Petit Pattes who make the most beautiful baby gift or treat.

I also found this sweet cloud top and matching leggings at The Little White Company which goes so well with our other ‘cloud’ items which are dotted about.

I found this little pink teething ring at Archies Boutique too, perfect as a gift or to stash away in my case!

Finally, I’ve made a new mobile style with sparkling and felt icecreams which will launch in my Etsy shop on May 6th.

It’s sometimes very hard to find baby room accessories and essentials that arn’t too twee, and that echo the ethos and complement my Velveteen Babies collection. Luckily, Mama Designs has stepped in to save modern nurseries everywhere!

We love how well each product goes with our Velveteen Babies garland designs for a bright or cloud themed nursery.

Mama Designs Babasac

The Babasac sleeping bags are produced in fun, graphic prints and inner layers you can zip out, making it a multi tog sleeping bag for all weather. We love the unisex clouds and apple designs, and there are stars, pink heart designs online too.

Babasac sleeping bag

Mamadesigns also produces a beautiful range of soft cotton cellular blankets in greys and brights for your little ones. We have a lovely bright yellow, though there’s some lovely contrast trim grey styles too.

Bright and Beautiful

They are perfect for using as a nap time cover up, or to add a pop of colour to your nursery.

Cellular Blanket

Keira designs all her products with love in the UK, and every single product is tested to the highest safety standards. Take a look at the whole range here.

I have such a lovely time creating custom mobiles so I thought I’d share some photos of them with you.

This is my classic cloud and droplet mobile, but I’ve customised the little rainbow in order to match my customer’s nursery bedding. It’s very pretty and feminine.

cloud and raindrop mobile

Classic droplets with bright rainbow

The next mobile is a contemporary look, and has a clean modern approach. It’s based on my mouse garland (which is usually black and white) we’ve softened it by using greys and whites, and I’ve used white cord instead of ribbon to make it as contemporary as possible.

The mouse mobile

I created a very special custom order in beiges, blush pinks and golds.

I also made the ombrè garland to go with it, and match in the colours. I adore how the colours have worked so well together.

Mountain Bear Mobile

One of our best sellers which can be customised with a choice of ribbon and either clouds or fir trees to suit.

Mountain Bear Mobile

Sleepy Cloud with mint stars and gold moon.

Our new elephant mobile with clouds and stars in greys, white and silver touches.

Rainbow Raindrop Mobile

* All designs belong to Velveteen Babies and are not to be replicated or copied*